Magners makes inroads into UK on-trade

Cider is the drink to look out for in the next year, according to the people behind Irish brand Magners.

Announcing a major campaign to target the London market, Magners revealed the growing success it is having across the UK - particularly in Scotland, where the brand has gone from nothing to grab a 24 per cent market share in the space of just two years.

Stuart Wootten, export director at Magners, believes that there are exciting times ahead for the whole cider category.

"In Scotland we have seen a surge not only in our sales but with other brands too. There has been a revitalisation of the category," he said.

"We only went into Scotland to test the brand in one bar in Glasgow. But it has just got bigger and bigger."

The London campaign is Magners' first major foray into the market down south and Mr Wootten is confident that it will meet with great success.

He said: "I have got my sales teams working across London already. I have put them in the different "villages" that exist, such as Hoxton and Chelsea. It is a very exciting time for the whole category."

From now until May an advertising campaign will run on TV and radio, while a raft of poster adverts will be seen on the Underground and in bus shelters. By the summer the company will also have built a "branded orchard" in a tunnel leading to Irish flight departures at Heathrow airport. The brand is supporting licensees by sending out a range of point-of-sale material, including tent cards, posters and branded ice buckets.